All climate applications from the growth chamber can be adjusted so that the sugar beet plants can be tested for any desired climate conditions.
Rob Van Tetering, CEO of SESVanderHave, explains why their research centre is so important to the company: “Farmers in more than fifty countries from Russia to America grow our seeds. This geographical distribution affects the varieties of our sugar beets. We are referring to differences in climate, soil and diseases. In our research centre we can analyse all these factors in their finest details. In addition, regardless of weather or season, we operate independent climate control in each compartment. This renders a more homogeneous growth of our young plants as they are not ‘disturbed’ by the vagaries of the weather.”
“All the new technologies applied in the research centre enables an even quicker study of even more young plants: consequently, we can develop new varieties almost twice as quickly, which makes a huge difference.”
SESVanderHave can refine their research further thanks to this high-tech complex of buildings. Van Tetering: “The SESVanderHave Innovation Center is critical to our company and the sugar industry. It will enable us to market new and better varieties more quickly, such as sugar beets that give a higher yield, are more resistant to disease and less reliant on pesticides.